India and Sri Lanka have strengthened their healthcare partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the supply of 100 additional ambulances to Sri Lanka’s 1990 Suwa Seriya National Emergency Ambulance Service.
The initiative is backed by a grant assistance of 1,725.73 million Sri Lankan rupees from the Government of India.
The MoU was signed and exchanged by Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha and Sri Lankan Secretary of Health and Mass Media Dr. Anil Jasinghe in Colombo on November 11. The exchange took place in the presence of India’s Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and Sri Lanka’s Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.
The additional fully equipped ambulances are expected to strengthen the existing Suwa Seriya fleet and improve emergency medical response times, with the aim of bringing them below ten minutes. The initiative follows a request from the Sri Lankan leadership.
India has been a key partner in the development of Sri Lanka’s Suwa Seriya emergency ambulance service since its inception in 2016. Initially launched in the Western and Southern Provinces with an Indian grant of 7.5 million US dollars, the service began with 88 ambulances and an emergency response centre.
In 2018, India extended further assistance of 15.02 million US dollars, enabling the expansion of the service across the island, including the provision of 209 ambulances, operational support and training.
India’s healthcare partnership with Sri Lanka extends beyond emergency ambulance services. It includes the construction of Dickoya Hospital, the upgrading of Jaffna Teaching Hospital and hospitals in Kilinochchi and Vavuniya, as well as the establishment of a new surgical unit at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital.
Several healthcare projects are also underway, including the development of Accident and Emergency facilities at Mannar District General Hospital, a medical ward complex at Mullaitivu District General Hospital and the provision of medical equipment to Base Hospital, Deniyaya.
